Slashing Midnight
by wonder-mind
Summary: A group of assassins take to the night to complete a horrid task. This was truly a rewarding career.


**So i'm one of those people cursed with an obsession over minor characters. But luckily for me, there are people who also share this obsession! So i decided to write this quick fanfic for one of those people. You can find her on tumblr eleanorose123. It was through her blog that i was able to satisfy my (borderline unhealthy) obsession with the Fallguys, a group of minor characters that appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.**

 **Some quick notes on this fanfic: it's an AU where the Fallguys are underground assassins hired to kill someone (in the anime they were just hired to take out people through dueling, AKA duel bounty hunters, because that's the equivalent of a life or death struggle in Yu-Gi-Oh!). So yes, this is clearly an AU, although i didn't really go all that into their backstory; it's just them carrying out a job. Also, some slight hints of prizeshipping (Wolf x Coyote). It mainly centers around the Fallguys in general, and like i said, it's just something quick, but i still hope you enjoy it!**

 **As always, please review and let me know if i made any mistakes~**

⊱ ━━━━ **.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰**

As always, it was raining.

But it wasn't surprising. Not anymore.

A lone man stood outside an abandoned club. Not that anyone would guess the club was abandoned; people were always streaming in and out of the building. With its rotting wood and broken windows, one could only wonder what went on inside. Illegal drugs, illicit drinking, adulterous sex… The options were endless.

The man let out a sigh that showed his impatience, before pulling out a pocket watch to check the time. He was about to humor the thought of lateness when some panting caught his attention. At first he assumed it was some whore getting it on with a client, but when the panting stopped near him, he instantly recognized it's source.

"Coyote!" He snapped. "You're late."

"Sorry bro." The one called Coyote spoke fast, desperately trying to catch his breath. "I didn't… I couldn't… find the place… plus the rain..."

"And Jackal?"

"Here." A looming figure suddenly appeared behind Coyote. Although having a somewhat menacing appearance, the two other men held him in a gentle giant regard.

After a quick apology for his lateness, Jackal slowly lowered himself onto a nearby crate. "Wolf, bro, what's the situation?"

Wolf checked his watch again. "It's nearing midnight. It should be any minute now." Except for the soft _pitter-patter_ of rain and occasional shouts of drunks losing their money in a gamble, the three men were shrouded in silence and its accompanying darkness. The broken bottles that littered the ground were soon what entertained them, counting each piece as well as its individual sharp points. But it was little solace for their growing impatience. Just as their leader was about to suggest going inside for a drink, a slow moving vehicle rounded the nearest corner.

It was painted black, allowing it to blend flawlessly with the night. Its headlights were turned off, indicating a paranoid wish to stay hidden. The car carefully maneuvered around broken glass and potholes. Despite its tinted windows, two silhouettes could just barely be seen seated in the front.

Wolf cleared his throat before he quietly, and as discreetly as possible, dangled the watch on its chain so it extended downwards. He moved his arm slightly, allowing the watch to gain some momentum and swing. He then slowly stretched his arms over his head before allowing them to fall to his side again, the watch swinging wildly with each movement.

The car stopped abruptly in front of the trio, and the passenger window lowered ever so slightly. In the silence of the night, the voice carried over to them easily, "1984."

Coyote glanced uneasily at his leader. He himself was unsure what that meant, but he had no doubt Wolf knew. He had to, he was always the type to stay on top of things.

Sure enough, Wolf cleared his throat again, then responded, "Ministry of Love."

The window was quickly turned all the way up, closing with a resounding _click_. Then the backseat door slid open slowly. Wolf stuffed one hand in his pocket, the other gripping the watch as if his life depended on it. "Come on," he urged his teammates.

Jackal and Coyote slid in, albeit clearly reluctantly. Wolf followed, but not before glancing left and right to make sure no stragglers were watching. Satisfied, he shut the door behind him.

The inside of the car was as plain as the outside. The black leather seats didn't boast a single stain on them. The floor mats were smooth, which only served to prove how few people had graced the car's inside with their presence. It was a car strictly for business and business only.

It was truly the little things that Wolf had learned to pick upon. The years in his career have only made his mind sharper and his intent clearer.

Inside, no one spoke. The silence was deafening, but Wolf knew that it was best to let clients start the conversation. He also didn't feel like striking up any sort of convo. Although the back seats had plenty of room, he was still slightly smushed between the door and poor Coyote, whose small size at least made it somewhat easier to spare elbow room.

The car drove out of the deserted part of town before taking an exit and merging onto the nearest highway. And then, thankfully, the person in the driver's seat began speaking.

"Nice to meet you." It was a woman. "Our sincerest thanks for answering our call."

"Please, the pleasure is all ours." Wolf shot her a charismatic smile and rattled their aliases (Wolf, Coyote, and Jackal) to her. "We thank you for choosing us… Madame? Or what shall we call you?"

At that, the person in the passenger seat– a man– spoke. "Names are not important here."

"Oh but that would be rather rude." Wolf saw through the corner of his eye how Coyote smiled. Polite manners weren't their thing, but being in such a luxurious car just made it seem… mandatory. "Especially since we already introduced ourselves."

"I repeat. Names aren't necessary." A pause, and then, "But if you insist, you may call me Lion and her Panther."

"Lion and Panther. Heh, what a combo." Coyote chuckled at their chosen aliases.

The woman didn't smile, but instead said, "Shall we speak business?"

"Of course." They had now gone deeper into the city. The lights of nearby buildings were blurred more so by the falling rain than by the tinted windows. Wolf also realized they were in the middle lane. _Smart_. This way, they could afford to maneuver in and out of traffic easily while still keeping a watchful eye on the passing exits. However…

"You're new at this aren't you?" The question pierced the sudden silence, but Wolf was thirsting for a quick banter. "Why else would you let us into your car with no questions asked?"

"How so?" Panther glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Don't underestimate us. We know our situation."

"Doesn't look that way to me." Wolf smirked as he leaned against the door. "We can swindle you out of your money and flee the scene. Easy as that."

"Do that, and we crash the car here and now. We have nothing to lose. Don't forget where you are." As if to prove her point, Panther quickly changed into the left lane. The action caused her to cut off a driver, who swerved out of her way and honked his horn as he passed them. Once he was ahead, Panther switched back. "We have made a deal with the devil."

Jackal raised his eyebrows questioningly, but all Wolf said was, "Watch your back."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a _warning_."

Once again they lapsed into silence. Wolf took this opportunity to take in the pair. He mentally chastised himself for not having done so sooner, instead choosing to exchange wasteful words with them.

For starters the couple was clearly from wealth. Panther's brown hair fell in soft, even waves down her back. What Wolf could see of her upper torso indicated that she had a dress on. The top was a light pink with white lace running along the edges. Its long sleeves and collar covered any evidence of jewelry on the woman's person. Wolf wasn't a fashion expert, but he was sure the black gloves she had on clashed with her otherwise stylish dress.

It wasn't just her though. Lion also had similar gloves on. Yet his weren't so obvious since he had on a simple, but still rather pristine, black suit. His brown hair, slightly darker than Panther's, curled over the collar. He appeared to be devoid of any personal belongings as well.

Wolf tried to guess their relationship. Siblings? No, they didn't appear to have any relating features. Simply friends? Highly unlikely, people didn't drag friends into these kinds of deals. Cousins? Perhaps, but still a long shot. Husband and wife? _Hmm_ … That showed the most promise.

The silence continued to stretch over them before it was broken by, surprisingly, Jackal. He stated in a rather blunt manner," So what do you want us to do?"

"What you do best."

Coyote closed his eyes, sporting a wry smile on his face. "Assassination."

"Yes." Lion shifted in his seat. "We want you three to carry out an assassination."

At that, Wolf quickly perked up, mentally bringing himself back into the situation. "What kind?"

"We'll leave that up to you." Lion patted the headrest of his seat. "If you will, please look inside the pocket behind me. There should be a manilla folder."

Carefully Wolf pulled open the pocket behind Lion's seat and peered inside. He pulled out a plastic bag that sure enough, contained a manilla folder inside.

Lion continued his instructions. "Open it and look through the files inside. You have exactly six minutes to do so."

 _Six minutes… So two minutes for each of us._ Wolf pulled the folder out and carefully read through it, eyeing the accompanying picture stapled to the top of the first page.

 _Name: Tatsuki Yuki_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Hair color: Blonde_

 _Eye color: Green_

 _D.O.B.: December 18_

 _Age: 27_

 _Occupation: Mechanic_

 _Employment: Car World_

 _Residence: Spring Gardens Apartment Complex_

The rest of the pages relayed (in pretty great detail) the rest of Tatsuki's personal information. From medical and educational records to hobbies and dislikes. Wolf could only skim them quickly before passing the folder on to Coyote.

The smaller man could barely contain his surprise at the large amount of information when he opened the folder. Wolf couldn't blame him. No client had _ever_ gone this far to provide a crystal clear image of their, Wolf assumed, target. And how this couple had even managed to get the information in the first place was beyond him. Their team, the Fallguys, have certainly never been able to attain such an extensive profile, despite their best efforts.

"Time." Lion suddenly said.

Wolf glanced down at the pocket watch in his lap. _Exactly six minutes_ , he mused. He was keeping track of time. As of right now, they had spend about 15 minutes in the car. Wolf was beginning to suspect where they were going.

Jackal handed the folder back to Wolf, who in turn placed it back inside the bag. Before he could do anything else, Panther suddenly instructed, "Place the watch inside too. We assume you still have it, being such professionals?"

"Of course. You saw me with it, didn't you?" Wolf smirked, then dropped the watch inside the bag with an audible _thunk_. "How clever of you to use it as way to recognize us." He handed the bag to Lion, who had stretched out his hand for it.

"Thank you," the man said. He glanced at it before placing it in the safety of his lap. "Now, if you please, look inside the other pocket. On the back of Panther's seat."

Since Jackal was directly behind it, he got the honor of doing so. He peered in, just as Wolf had done with his side, before pulling out a flat, black garbage bag.

"That is one third of the payment promised." Panther said, steering the car into the right lane. "The rest will be given once the job is completed."

"And our target?"

"Tatsuki Yuki, the man whose profile you just saw." The trio could practically hear the ' _obviously'_ hanging in the air. Panther checked to make sure she was clear, then took an upcoming exit.

They emerged into a suburban area. Although the city could still be seen bustling even at the latest hours of the night, the suburbs were just the opposite. It was as if a curfew had been imposed; everyone was already inside their houses and sleeping. The only hint of light were the streetlights that illuminated the sidewalks for any latecomers.

The group traveled for about two minutes before Panther slowed the car to a stop. She glanced at Lion, who in turn looked at the trio of assassins in the backseat. "Do you know where this is?"

"The area just outside the city," Jackal responded for the group. "Yes, we know this place."

"Then you should know the target is just up ahead." Lion took in a deep breath. "Much thanks in advance."

"How amicable." Wolf fiddled the door handle. "So the rest of the payment…?"

"Will be given to you once the target is confirmed dead." Lion confirmed. "It will be sent to you in the same way we contacted you."

Wolf gave a nod in return. "Alright." Even though his instincts were screaming at him to be cautious, for some reason he felt eerily calm. He could _feel_ desperation on these people, their desperation and eagerness to see a man dead. So they wouldn't cheat their hitmen out of the rest of their money. That much Wolf knew.

This truly was a rewarding career.

"Well then, if everything has already been settled, then you may get out of the car." Panther tapped her finger on the steering wheel. "If we may be so selfish as to ask, please have the target killed before dawn."

"Indeed. A swift killing on a deadline costs more, but you knew that already." Wolf slid open the door and shuffled out, followed by Coyote and Jackal. He then watched silently as the door automatically shut behind him. Before any of the assassins could say anything, the car quickly sped back in reverse, made a hasty U-turn once enough distance was between them, and disappeared into the night.

The Fallguys were now on their own.

•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•

"Don't fall asleep Coyote."

"Mmm… I'm not…"

Jackal gave the smaller man a shove, but it didn't do little more than annoy him. He let out a sigh. "Bro, Coyote's falling asleep. _Again_."

A small smile graced Wolf's previously serious face before grabbing a fistful of Coyote's pink hair. "Hey now. Stay up. We need to focus." As he gently pulled on the hair, Wolf couldn't help but marvel at its softness. Even through his gloves he could still feel its smooth silkiness. Normally Wolf tried to push away his personal feelings when they were out on missions, but every now and then he made an exception, especially when they were simply on watch for their target.

Like now.

Now he wondered how it would be if he were alone with Coyote. If they didn't have to worry about having to assassinate some guy they knew, through that extensive profile, liked pistachio ice cream. Wolf wondered what their lives would be like had they never even started on this path. Had they never become assassins. Had they just lived normal lives. _Perhaps_ …

"Wolf!" Jackal's voice snapped their leader back to attention. He looked up just in time to see a car pull up into the driveway. Wolf turned to his two companions.

"Shall we boys?"

"Heh, of course bro."

•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•

Getting inside the house turned out to be easier than keeping watch over it. Wolf had carefully removed the basement window's pane of glass (years of thieving had given him the experience) before Coyote used his signature knives to cut through the screen. Once they had crawled through, they decided to do a little check-over before continuing.

"So, Jackal is keeping watch outside." Wolf relayed as he and his partner moved stealthily, passing by old boxes and rusty equipment. "If anything happens or if anyone decides to come by, he'll deal with them. Or at the very least, alert us."

"And you're here as my backup." Coyote smirked. "If anything should happen _inside_ , you'll come to my rescue, right?"

Wolf nodded, a little too quickly and too enthusiastically than he cared to admit, but he paid it no mind. If anyone dared to hurt him… "Right. I'm here just in case things get rowdy. But you have to deliver the final blow, I don't have my weapons on me."

" _What_?" Coyote loudly hissed, but quickly simmered down when he was met with a glare. "What kind of assassin are you? Why _wouldn't_ you bring your weapons?"

"Shh! I didn't want to be weighed down. Now listen, we need to make this quick. We'll locate the target and wipe him out alright? And then we have to leave this"– he pulled out a small locket charm from his coat pocket– "at the scene."

"What is that?" Coyote squinted.

"It's what our client said to leave on the body. Their contact gave it to me when we met up, but said not to mention it ever again." Wolf shrugged. "I guess they're being real careful with all this."

The two had now made it to the top of the stairs. Wolf pressed his ear against the door. He could hear the clinking of glasses and running water. _So he's doing dishes?_ Yes, that had to be it. The target's profile mentioned he was a partier, leaving his used dishes and utensils in the sink in favor of attending late night parties. But he always did them when he returned home. _Always_.

Once the running water had stopped, Wolf turned to Coyote and whispered, "3 minutes."

He instantly understood. In 3 minutes they would leave the basement.

Time seemed to pass slowly. For extra measure, Wolf decided to count backwards from 180. It took slightly longer than the accounted 3 minutes, but it was for the best. After all, they couldn't afford to be careless. Once he reached zero, Wolf turned to Coyote. "Let's go."

Neither of them had heard any noise from the kitchen or nearby bedrooms, so it was safe to assume Tatsuki had gone to bed. _After dishes, he goes straight to bed. Showers the following morning_. That's what the profile had stated.

Sure enough, once outside the concealment of the basement, the two carefully made their way up another pair of stairs. Just like with Tatsuki's personal records, one of the files had actually had an (elaborate) outline of his home. Wolf was actually beginning to feel _some_ form of worry and fear as he climbed, followed by Coyote. Alright, so their clients were from wealth, that part wasn't new. Rich bastards were always looking to kill their competition. But these people… _These_ people had to be very powerful in some way to be able to attain such information. That, and combined with all the care they took not leave any trace that they had ever hired the Fallguys, let alone _existed_ , was what really worried the skilled assassin. If the killing went botched and they were captured...

All blame would go to the Fallguys. It was more believable for assassins to go after a simple mechanic than for a wealthy couple to hire them to do so. After all, a mechanic wasn't any form of threat to wealth. So then why were they going through all this trouble?

By the time Wolf was done with his musings, he realized he and Coyote had stepped into a hallway with three doors. He closed his eyes in concentration. _The two doors on the same side are a bathroom and closet, if I remember correctly. So that means the lone door is his bedroom._ Wolf softly tapped the door before turning back to Coyote. "This is it."

The shorter man looked at it uneasily. "So we just go in, kill him, and then pull out right?"

"Yeah. Just… be careful. You know. Don't get overzealous or anything." With those words, Wolf quietly opened the door and peered in.

The room was surprisingly simple. The walls were painted a creamy white, with matching white furniture aligning the walls. In one corner however, there was large bed with a bundle curled up close to the wall. Wolf urged Coyote forward. "There's the target. Go for it!"

Coyote moved forward towards the bed. The man tucked underneath various blankets was sleeping soundly, unaware of his nightly visitors. His torso moved up and down in rhythm with his breathing.

 _Heavy sleeper._

Coyote took a deep breath. He glanced behind his shoulder at Wolf, who was watching him with both morbid interest and genuine concern. The assassin turned his attention back to the bundle on the bed. Then, Coyote quickly pulled the target back by the hair, and in a single swift move, slashed his throat. There was no sound. No groans or moans of pain, no screams or wails of horror. There was no time.

For a good minute there was only silence.

•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•

Wolf broke it. "We need to leave. Now."

"Right." Coyote cleared his throat before making his way to the door. He could hear some shuffling behind him as his leader placed the locket charm on the bedside table. And then… "What the _fuck_?"

"What?"

"Look." Wolf had pulled a pale blue piece of fabric from behind the table. He gingerly held it up for Coyote to see, who recoiled in disgust when he realized what it was.

"What are you _doing_? Those things could be contaminated for all you know." He rolled his eyes as Wolf carefully turned the panties around.

"Relax. I'm wearing gloves. But look." He pointed at a lock of hair attached to them. "See? Why the hell is this here?"

"Maybe as a reminder?" Coyote snickered, but quickly sobered when he saw his partner not amused. In fact, he had a similar look on his face. A look that told him he was piecing some things together.

Wolf tossed the panties on the bed. Then, he crossed the room and threw open the doors to a nearby wardrobe. He began pawing through the clothes as Coyote followed his every move in worry. "What are you doing?" He cried. "You said we need to get out of here."

"I just want to see something."

"Jackal must be worried about us. Let's go."

"He's used to it. We've taken longer on other jobs."

"But we need to go _now_."

"Wait." Wolf's commanding tone left no room for the other man to argue. So instead he resorted to just watching the assassin continue to go through Tatsuki's clothes, stopping a few times to pull some out. Suddenly he froze and held up a small notebook. "Bingo."

"What now?" Coyote dared to inch closer. He looked over Wolf's shoulder, not caring that he had to stretch out on tiptoes in order to do so.

The first few pages of the notebook didn't hold anything of interest. Just a few dates and addresses, including names of grocery stores and schools. However, soon the pages began to be filled with pictures. They were all pictures of young teen girls, from blondes to brunettes to redheads, and all had their presumed names scribbled underneath their picture. Some even had a few locks of hair taped to them. One, however, quickly caught both assassin's attention.

It was picture of a young girl with flowing brown hair. Her green eyes seemed to be shining with pure happiness, as if nothing could possibly be wrong with the world. The name underneath the picture read _Carolina_. But what had caught their attention was how similar her features were to that of Panther, the female of the pair who had driven the Fallguys to their destination. Coyote thought the pictured girl seemed like a younger version of her.

He wasn't the only one who saw the connection.

"Hmm." Wolf closed the notebook before looking back to the dead body on the bed. "So that's how it is." He must have seen the confused look on the younger man's face, because he immediately began to elaborate on his thoughts. "There's a good chance our client had some form of relationship with that Carolina girl. Maybe she was their daughter? Anyway, one thing's clear. That bastard was a sick man. A rapist, no doubt." He made a face before throwing the notebook towards the bed, where it bounced off the body and settled in the covers, it's pages spread opened. "I bet he kept all sorts of trophies. Disgusting piece of shit."

"So it was a revenge killing," Coyote said slowly. "I get it. No wonder they were after him. I wonder if their girl's alright."

"That's not our problem. We need to leave now. I'm sick of this place."

•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•

Jackal was still maintaining his post when his two teammates joined him outside, kneeling in the nearby bushes. He met them with a grin. "I take it everything went well?"

"Of course." Wolf smirked. "No problems on our end."

"None on mine either." Jackal turned towards the sky. Droplets of rain were pouring down his face. "Except for the rain. It hasn't stopped even for a second."

Wolf didn't respond. Instead, he just glanced down the road, the black pavement dark with water. It was now nearing two in the morning. No chance for them to get their eight hours of sleep in, he thought. But it didn't matter. Jobs like this weren't often, but always rewarding.

And just like on all previous jobs that were like this, it was raining. It didn't surprise the Fallguys leader. Just made him feel slightly nostalgic.

"Let's go," he finally said, standing up. Sticking his hands in his pockets, Wolf moved out of their hiding spot and began down the sidewalk, making sure to stick close to the shadows. His friends followed him.

They made their way down the street, leaving behind only their vicious carnage, but no trace of themselves.

⊱ ━━━━ **.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰**

 **I'm actually pretty proud of this. I honestly had no idea where I wanted this to go originally, but I am** _ **so**_ **glad it turned out the way it did. I wanted to put extra scenes in, just to clear some things up, but I ended up making things** _ **just**_ **slightly vague enough to keep people wondering. I do hope you all enjoyed it though! Please let me know if there are any mistakes or what I can improve upon.**

 **Thanks so much for reading! Luv ya all 3**

 **ƹӝʒ**


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